Weather on Election Day

I thought I'd look at what the weather forecast is for Tuesday because in the past, bad weather has driven town turnout and generally favored Republicans, who are generally more enthusiastic about their candidate. But this year, it looks like Democrats are more enthusiastic about their candidate and more likely to stick it out in the rain (or snow) to vote for their man.

So here's the weather forecast for all of the states in which a competitive presidential or senatorial race is expected:

Arizona--Clear; 51-83°
Colorado--Clear in the east, rainy in the west; 45-65°
Florida--Rainy on the eastern coast, clear everywhere else; 74-83°
Georgia--Rainy on the coast, clear everywhere else; 65-73°
Indiana--Clear; 66-74°
Iowa--Clear, showers in Sioux City; 64-70°
Kentucky--Clear, 69-74°
Michigan--Clear; 58-66°
Minnesota--Rainy; 57-63°
Mississippi--Clear; 72-78°
Missouri--Clear; 68-74°
Montana--Rainy; 41-53°
Nevada--Rainy in the northeast, clear everywhere else
New Jersey--Clear; 61-66°
New Mexico--Clear, 57-80°
North Carolina--Rainy on the coast, clear everywhere else; 61-68°
North Dakota--Rainy; 56-60°
Ohio--Clear; 64-73°
Oregon--Rainy; 43-53°
Pennsylvania--Clear; 63-67°
South Dakota--Rainy; 59-64°
Texas--Clear; 74-84°
Virginia--Clear; 64-68°
Washington--Rainy; 45-52°
West Virginia--Clear; 61-72°
Wisconsin--Rainy in the north, clear everywhere else; 59-66°


So overall, the weather looks pretty good for election day.

The only states where there might be problems with the weather throughout the state are Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington.

States that might have rain in a certain part of the state are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

The bad weather might affect turnout in southeastern states of Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. It is expected to rain on the coasts and on the eastern part of these states, which tend to lean Democratic. The rain may drive turnout down, depending on how enthusiastic the Democrats are.

Another place where the rain might have an effect is Montana, where the Democrats are much more enthusiastic. The Republican have no hope at the Governor, Senate or House levels, and Republicans might just decide to stay home, causing Barack Obama to win the state's three electoral votes.

Other than that, the weather should not play a huge role on election day--thank God.